2.17.2013

I guess most bloggers would do a re-style post in the typical 1,2,3 part fashion... but HEY, this is real life people, and our remodels and re-styles don't happen in 1,2,3's, mkay? There are a LOT of components to completely making over a space! The two biggest that I can think of are money and TIME. I'm sure a bunch of you can relate when I tell you that I could literally pick ONE thing on my to-do list of hundreds, and JUST work on that ONE thing, all day. Whether it's being a Mom, doing laundry, preparing meals for the week, focusing on weight loss, blogging or redecorating; but guess what? That ain't NEVER gonna happen (for me anyway). Around these parts, we've always got a million plates spinning around in the air. The trick is to just keep as many going as possible, without losing your cool.

That being said, there ARE those times, at the end of a long week when you suddenly realize that one or two of those spinning plates has disappeared; and it feels GREAT! For us, this happened about 2 weeks ago when we added in the LAST big piece of the puzzle into the eating nook in our kitchen. It was a busy Thursday morning when we finally got the call from Black Goose Design that our new, special order settee for our kitchen was here and ready for pickup!

I'm not sure if you remember, but we shared a little peek at a few of the finishes we had picked out for our kitchen early on, and that gray and white ikat- style fabric had been playing a big part in the whole "look" of our eating nook. The only problem was, that this specific fabric was on back order for about 2 months! Both Cason and I tried to convince ourselves that we should just pick something else, but we were dead-set on getting THAT fabric, with a very specific style of settee for our table; and here's why...

Life CAN be pretty and stylish, even WITH KIDS!You just have to make sure that all of your world is washable, that's all.(you can quote me on that one)

:)

I honestly can't tell you HOW happy we are with this plush, durable, gorgeous settee. It's easy to get in and out of, it can easily sit three adults and it's comfy to the MAX! One of the biggest goals for our little home is to make it as functional as possible, regardless of the size. We wanted to fit as many people as we could around the largest table that we had space for, and with our final number now reaching a whopping 8, we've accomplished just that... counting the bar stools, we're at a total of 11 seats all together!

It may seem a bit silly to name a space, but Cason and I have dubbed this area:

"The Teeny-Tiny Kitchen that Could."

Another big change that happened in this space a few weeks before we got our settee was our new window coverings! When we moved into the house we bought Faux wood blinds for all of our windows, but found out quickly they weren't cut out for the job they needed to preform. The back part of our house (where the eating area, kitchen and family room is) heats up like you wouldn't believe in the evening; making it almost unbearable in the Summertime to cook a hot meal in the kitchen after about 6:00pm. We knew we needed more protection from the heat and sun, but weren't quite sure what to do. Thank goodness for Brooke, who suggested these woven wood shades. They keep the sun and heat out so much better, because they've got a protective lining on the back. Plus, I love the natural vibe that the wood material brings to the space; meshing really well with the earthy, raw feel of our tables finish.

We fell in love with the roman shades over in our bay window so much, that we decided to take the same look over to our window by the sink, but this time with a fun, floral fabric, to soften all the hard lines of the tile and wood planked walls a bit.

We had originally started out with a blue floral fabric to begin with, but in the end decided to go with a lighter variation, with lots of pops of color instead, to keep the space from getting too dark. I wanted the maximum amount of light to still be able to shine through my roman shade, but also provide us with the privacy we needed.

... and of course, you can't forget all the finishing touches. We're still working on a few things (like getting rid of all the Valentine's decor and maybe finding a fun table runner) so we'll keep you updated with those changes, but while I was at The Black Goose Design shop a few days ago, I spotted these great pieces that I knew would look awesome on my blue tray in the middle of our table... aaaand, since I know you guys are always asking about WHERE I buy all of our cute decor, Brooke and I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway for a few of the exact same things that we're using in OUR house, right now!

Brooke and I thought about this a bit and we've decided that we want to know: "What sort of items does YOUR kitchen nook/dining room need?" Window coverings, decor, a great piece of statement furniture? If you could pick a few things to add to your space that would personalize it a bit more for you and your family, what would they be?

Simply leave a comment and use the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entry. We've also included a few additional ways to to gain more entries, for a better chance to win these goodies, so make sure to take advantage of those too

Our dining area, along with being very small, is a pass through type space. Every other room spokes off of it as do the stairs going to the basement/garage. The stairs are our daily way in and out of our tiny townhouse.

We gave our old (space hogging) table to a family member and are now on the hunt for a small round table that is expandable for dinner guests. Finding a stylish one is not as easy as you might think.

I really could use some paint and wood filler for my dining set - we've got a great pottery barn-esqe table and chair set but it was second hand and it's forest green (yikes) and has some dog chewed pieces! But the bones of the piece are awesome so I want to make it perfect for my kitchen.

I just love your kitchen!!! I painted my cabinets white last year and the walls are now a light gray as well. Just love how light and bright it is.I love, love, love your eating area. Looking at my kitchen two things I would love to have in my eating area is possibly a rug and a small accent piece of furniture.

I love your changes. I am working on a plan for a kitchen update too and I want to paint my cabinets (which are now maple) and replace the backsplash with glass tile. I recently bought a round kitchen table and added rattan chairs and I love it. Need some new accessories too. Hope I win!

Well, my kitchen needs much since it is 60 years old (we are saving the best for last haha) but I am trying to spruce it up with clean lines and special touches in the interim - and I would love any help I can get!

Being in the military requires countless of moves, which means countless of dings and scratches to our furniture. We are in dire need of a new table and chairs, hopefully one with a bench for our growing family!

I am in the middle of a major kitchen renovation so I could list a million things that our kitchen needs right now! The two things that I would take right now are pretty shelf supports for our new open shelving and a table for our breakfast area.

Our Kitchen/nook needs a new table. We currently have an old pub table that I love but because of the space a round table would fit so much better. I would also like new chair cushions and maybe something on the table. I have such a hard time with that to put on tables.

Hmmm, I love my dining room, but since we're dreaming, I would love a new table and chairs!Mine are old farmhouse style that I painted black a couple of years ago. It would be nice to pick out a new set - something I wouldn't have to do anything to!

We NEED new barstools. My mom gave us an extra pub height table that ive been asking for for EVEERRR but we have no chairs! We have 6 chairs...each pair is completely different and out dated lol. It looks terrible. I cant wait to find the perfect stool!

i just took the curtains down in my kitchen nook so def need new window treatments-it's hard because our nook opens up to the living room and they have to go with the curtains in the living room.......or maybe the living room needs new curtains too :)

Love the settee!! The pattern was definitely worth the wait!As far as what our dining room needs, it definitely needs a new table and chairs. We've cobbled together hand me downs, and none of them are in particularly good shape. ;

I could just sit and stare at the pic of your sink and the gorgeous shade above it!

My kitchen needs a table runner, picture frame, and a little more color...maybe up high. We have the space above the cabinets and I've just left them blank for the last few months. Don't know if I want stuff up there or not.

I need something on the table... centerpiece, runner, something! And some new window coverings! Mine are just white and a bit boring! (well, and we need a backsplash asap as we just got new countertops!) :)

My kitchen nook needs a new buffet/cabinet to replace my tired, metal bakers rack. I've also been thinking about adding drapes to the windows but have been hesitant to have full length drapes since my little people drop so much stuff on the floor. Still just thinking about that one...

I am in desperate need of some window coverings that are kid friendly. We also have a bay window in our dining room with just pain old white blinds. It looks so BORING, but I'm afraid to put curtains up with 4 kids 6 and under in the house. Maybe this is a solution for our house too?! While I'm thinking of things we need, our 2 dining chairs at the heads of our table are getting pretty tired. (we've got benches on the sides too!) The ones we have are so BLAH and I'm thinking something fun and funky needs to come in and take over. Thanks for the chance to win!

My kitchen is pretty small... I think I have utilized the space well and just bought a gorgeous corner china hutch. I need items to decorate inside the hutch, as well as new blinds for the French doors that overlook a hiking trail. I'd also LOVE to have our cabinets, trim, and doors painted white.., someday! :)

Love the window coverings, so fresh and casual! My current dining room challenge is figuring out how to address our big bay window. I'm not sure how to get curtains on the inside vs. along the outside. The room will look bigger if they're inset. And, of course, definitely washable!

I redid my kitchen a a couple of years ago.....walls, changed out dinette set for the cutest zebra strip and leather couch and leather ottoman to make it a sitting area! I just love it...the only thing I cannot "complete" is the window dressing for window in the sitting area.I cant find that fabric and style that would finish it off with the oomph I am looking for!

Our kitchen nook is in desperate need of new chairs. We currently use a hand-me-down table & chair set from my in-laws (from the 1970s or 80s). We also moved into our house about 6 months ago, so we need a lot of decor and personal touches.

I'm moving to a brand new house in 39 days (but who's counting?) and it will need color! The cabinets are white, dark floors and countertops, but no color. I'm busy day dreaming about window treatments and accessories that can warm up the space and make it home!

I've had a kitchen update brewing in my head for a while now.... it could use 2 statement-type chairs for the ends of my dining table, a new runner for the "aisle" between my stove & sink, and some new window valances, which I think I am going to make! Thanks for the giveaway!

Our kitchen has to double as office/homeschool room, so it's a very busy space! We are in need of fun and functional command center items: hanging baskets that you can also put on the table without falling over; mail holder, so hubby doesn't leave mail all over the place; a user friendly calendar, one that doesn't smear all over your hand; desk height counter, our counter is also a desk, but with the kids needing use of it, the height is very uncomfortable. Oh, and new lighting over the table :)

We need everything! We're fortunate enough to have a large eat in area thats part of our open floor plan and we bought a great farmhouse table and some leather parson chairs but there is no personalization. We have one small section of wall where I'm thinking of adding shelves. I also need curtains and some table top decorations!

I just love the whole look of your nook! I'm sitting here in my family room saying to myself, "Oooh, maybe those blinds could work in here....I am in LOVE with that floral fabric!!! I could re-do my curtains!" Can you tell me the name of the fabric pleeeeeeaaase? Keep up the great work, you are inspriring me! :0) ~Kathy

We recently dis a lot to our kitchen but I feel it still needs a statement piece at the table. We have an outdoor wrought iron table (with a glass top) and chairs. It's a great set that we bought years ago. It was expensive but worth it and we know we can move it outside one day. However, I have had it a long time and finding a way to "change it up a bit" has been a challenge. Maybe some pillows in the end chairs or new seat cushions to add some more texture.....you've got me thinking.....

Living in a small apartment doesn't allow much room for decorating. We don't even have a table to sit at. But I'd love to add more color to my kitchen to make it as enjoyable to be in as possible! Pictures, pretty towels, cute canister... a girl can dream.

I have my dream table. My mom left me this beautiful, chunky, antique, natural wood table that is square with a middle leaf that can be put in to seat more people. I need some adorable chairs to go with it, or even recover what she had originally with it. And I am totally eye-balling those amazing green jars on your Ballard shelf! :)

I SO want a new table and love the look of your new kitchen!!! Our nook is small too so we might just have to borrow a few ideas from you. :) You are my design hero!! Oh, and I definitely need those blinds for the entire from of my house; we have the very same problem and like you said the faux wooden blinds def. don't cut it. Thanks for more great ideas!

I'm hoping to get a built in bench along the windows of our nook. That way we can seat more people and it will also be a window seat to hang out on and enjoy the beautiful views from our nook. Also, dreaming of a new kitchen table. :)

We need new countertops. This kitchen has beige "orange peel" textured countertops that we don't really like. But I LOVE your 'pop of color fabric' over your sink!! It is hard to believe that you actually use all that beauty every day. It looks like it only exists in a photo!

I would love to add shelves, just like the ones you have, to my dining area. I love how you decorate them with each holiday/season. The giveaway items would be awesome to decorate my shelves with! Tracey

Our kitchen is "fine" as is, but not "us". KWIM? I'd like to paint or refinish the cabinets, get a new dining table and chairs, paint the walls, add cute accents, etc. Easy peasy, right? Uhm... not! Some of us have indecisive-omnia. lol.

Our kitchen is "fine" as is, but not "us". KWIM? I'd like to paint or refinish the cabinets, get a new dining table and chairs, paint the walls, add cute accents, etc. Easy peasy, right? Uhm... not! Some of us have indecisive-omnia. lol.

Well, my kitchen needs a total makeover. This house was built for a family of four, but we have a family of six, plus pets.I was thinking of making a bench seat for our kitchen table but and in LOVE with your settee. That actually might be our solution.Where did you get that at?

I need something between the sink and the cabinet above it. It's just a bare, plain space that drives me crazy. Sadly, I can't put a window there, as it's not on an outside wall. I also would LOVE some fun chairs.

After adding a new addition to our family last summer, bumping us up from a family of four to five, we really need a new dining table that can fit us all! Not to mention our old table is a hand me down that has seen better days! :)

It would help to have a bigger kitchen but for now...my tall kitchen table has 2 uncomfortable stools , it would be nice to have 4 high backed chairs so that when company comes over we all have a place to sit instead of on the couch with TV trays

I have been on pinterest all week trying to get pointers on how to DIY a valance (like yours!) for my kitchen since it's not in the budget to buy one from the store and I want to use a brighter fabric to bring some life into my space! Plus, I could use the same fabric to coordinate a matching runner! It would be great! We moved into a new house 6 months ago, and every weekend since then has been projects, projects, projects, and I LOVE it...but MAN, it is exhausting with 3 kids!! I hear ya totally about all those flying plates! =)

My dining room serves double duty as an office, and right now what it really needs is some shelving to hang over the desk, for extra storage and some pretties! I also want a vintage looking sign to hang in my kitchen.

Putting that tray on the table hit me like a ton of bricks! I like to have flowers our vintage napkin holder and a bowl of fruit on the table but it never looks quite right. A great tray will pull it all together. Definitely an aha moment for me.

we need it all new table to replace the one falling apart some art to match the new color scheme and a table cloth to cordinate everything with the slate tiles backsplash in the kitchen (my whole house is 1 big open space)

I am currently redesigning my dining room. My kitchen is non existent. We live in military housing so yeah not a lot going on. I need decor. I have the fabric for drapes, but the kid friendly non breakable decor is a much needed thing. And a durable table cloth. Something to protect the table but is oh so tres chic!

Our house needs too much to even list! I'd love a new dining table, as ours only seats four. But the worst is our drapes and cornice, they are too model home-y and are -dying- to be replaced! What I love in our dining room is my great great grandmother's buffet table. I love it because it's so special but I hate it because when it gets any tiny knick on it I'm in tears.

Oh goodness. The question should be, what doesn't your kitchen need! Haha A new rug, new shades and lots of accessories! Love love love the settee btw! I'm going to be making pillows for my daughters room with that print soon!

Oh boy, to name one thing we need in our kitchen or dining room is hard!! Two things that stand out are a simple centerpiece for our kitchen table and decor for above our cabinets. We have 3 to 5 feet of space above our cabinets and I am at loss on what to put up there! Thinking a large cloce in one stuff.

We had a flood that ruined about 800 sq ft of our beautiful dark hardwood floors, most of it in the kitchen. So, not only do we ned new flooring, but I'm taking the opportunity to completely re-think the direction I want to go in terms of decor. New table, chairs, window treatments... you name it!

I have a lot of things to address, but my biggest problem is a very large bank of windows that span one side of my kitchen. I love the light and openness, but desperately need some sort of window coverings that keep out the heat in the Summer and give us some privacy. Help!!

I need new window coverings SO BAD! The window above the sink is bare naked and the vertical blinds on the sliding glass door aren't functional anymore. I'm tired of feeling like a fish in a fish bowl.

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